I remember once, I use to be squeamish about touching bugs and things… just as sad, was if they were in the home, as out came that spray or shoe… but times have changed. Since my interest in photographing the bugs with my mobile phone, striving for an in-focus photo, and being able to share on Facebook, iNaturalist and my website, I certainly relish any encounters now. Of course, I mustn’t be silly, as I certainly didn’t want to be bitten or stung…
Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus), Alice Springs NT
My encounters was easier if I had just fished them out of a swimming pool… as they tend to be docile, until they shake themselves dry…
Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) drying off from the pool, Alice Springs NT
Sadly, not all survived the swimming pool…
Deceased (drowned) Plume Moth (family Pterophoridae), Alice Springs NTOrchid Dupe Wasp (Lissopimpla excelsa), Alice Springs NTSoldier Fly (family Stratiomyidae), Alice Springs NT
The variety of beetles and native cockroaches are amazing…
Ippatha australiensis (Stink Bug), family Pentatomidae, Alice Springs NTWater Scavenger Beetle – Hydrophilus (Hydrophilus), Alice Springs NTDigitonthophagus gazella, Alice Springs NTBlue Pie-dish Beetle (Pterohelaeus sp), Alice Springs NTGenus Lepidiota Beetle (family Scarabaeidae), Alice Springs NTGround Shield Bug (Choerocoris paganus), Alice Springs Desert Park NTBush Cockroach (Ellipsidion humarale), Alice Springs NT
A battle worn butterfly…
Papilio demoleus (Chequered Swallowtail), Alice Springs NT
There is something about moths that just want to hang around…
Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli), Alice Springs NTDasypodia selenophora (Southern Old Lady Moth), Alice Springs NTAgrius godarti (Godart’s Hawkmoth), Alice Springs NTOphiusa parcemacula (Owlet Moth / Figure Eight Moth), Alice Springs NT
This one was just hanging by a single thread…
Subfamily Noctuinae (Cutworms and Dart Moths), Alice Springs Desert Park NT
Native bees are a favourite of mine… but you do need to take care…
Red-headed Masked Bee (Hylaeus ruficeps), Alice Springs NT
Sometimes, it is just luck, taking a mobile photo with one hand… and there she goes…
Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum, Alice Springs NT
